GelsenkirchenBilthoven

Luxemburg

Bellecombe

Glasgow

Limoges

Dülmen

PHARMACEUTICAL RESIDUES IN THE WATER CYCLE

noPILLS – background + objectivesToday about 3,000 pharmaceutical substances are licensed in Europe. After consumption their residues leave the body and get into the water cycle. Up to 70% of the consumed `medicine cocktail´ may be excreted or washed off - or unwanted medicines disposed off incorrectly into the toilet.

These pharmaceutical residues can pose a risk to the aquatic environment.

End-of-pipe treatment can reduce the concentrated discharge at point sources e.g. hospitals. But depending on local situations, point sources treatment at hospitals can only remove up to 20% of the total emission. The remaining 80% arise from consumption in private households.

Therefore other approaches are needed: The noPILLS project widens the investigative framework from technical waste water treatment towards sources of pharmaceuticals in sewage and the active change of consumers´ behaviour in order to reduce pharmaceutical residues in the water cycle.

noPILLS is going to investigate if or how promising strategies can reduce pharmaceutical residues in the water cycle in the long term, starting at the sources of pollution instead of elimination at end-of-pipe.

noPILLS – partnersSix partners coming from five European States are working together in the noPILLS-project:

• France

• Germany(LeadPartner)

• Germany

• Luxembourg

• TheNetherlands

• UnitedKingdom

Project duration: June 2012 – September 2015

Budget: Approx.9,3millionEuro;43%co-financedbyERDF

The noPILLS partnership is supported in the framework oftheINTERREGIVBprogrammeoftheEU.

The pathways of pharmaceuticals in relation to the water cycle

All possible pathways have to be investigated how pharmaceutical residues get into the water cycle. Technical measures at point sources can eliminate only a smaller part. The input of pharmaceuticals must be reduced at decentralised sources.

 

PHARMACEUTICAL RESIDUES IN THE WATER CYCLE

noPILLS – people and activities

Awareness raising Demonstration tools Impact assessment

 

noPILLS – pilot locations Bilthoven, NL

• Conceptualisingthemedicinalproductchain including production, consumption and degradation in the environment

• Providinganoverviewofavailableknowledgeonthe actors and processes in the medicinal product chain and finding leverage points to affect the input of medicinal products in the water cycle

Glasgow, GB

Catchmentmanagementinvestigations:

• Establishingconsumers’perceptionsandattitudes towards pharmaceutical effluents and disposal

• Testingmodernmediadisseminationtools

• Quantifyingpharmaceuticalconcentrationsand eco-toxicity at point sources and in river basin

• Evaluatingadvancedtreatmenttechniques

Gelsenkirchen, D

• Long-termoperationofafull-scalehospital wastewater treatment plant:

Advancedtreatmenttechnologies(likemembrane bioreactor, ozonation activated carbon adsorption, sandfiltration),optimization(e.g.energyconsumption), monitoring(e.g.pharmaceuticals)

• Evaluationoftheintegrationintohospitalmanagement: Residualmanagement(e.g.waste,sludge),emission control(e.g.noise,odour)

• Characterisationofhospitalwastewater: Chemicalanalysis,consumptiondata

Dülmen, D

• Analyzingconsumers’behaviorregardingdrug consumption and disposal of old drugs

• Awarenessraisingpilotstudieswiththehealthsector and civil society in a city with 47.000 residents

• Testingadvancedtreatmenttechniqueinanexisting waste water treatment plant within a defined drinking water catchment

Bellecombe/ Limoges F

• SitePilotedeBellecombe:pharmaceuticalinwaste water sludge, assessment of their fate in the processing system and at the agricultural use

• Limoges:Enhancedtechniquestoeliminate pharmaceuticals from waste water, antibiotic resistance and biofilm in water; investigation of sociological aspects of the risk and strategies for a better use of pharmaceuticals

The noPILLS partner activities are focused on the following:

• JointmeasurescomplementingEUenvironmentalpolicy andlegislation,hereespeciallytheEUWaterFramework Directive

• Promotionofresponsiblepharmaceuticalproductionand consumption patterns

• Transnationalactionstopromoteeco-innovation,improved management tools for green technologies, lifecycle thinking and cleaner production processes

• Jointactionstoassistbusinessesinintegrating/ implementing innovative products, processes and services in their activities

The noPILLS partners identified 3 fields they concentrate their work on:

Esch-zur-Alzette, Lux

• TheCentreHospitalierEmileMayrisch(CHEM)in Esch-dur-Alzette, ca. 400 beds

• Sourcecontrol:avoidingemissionsofspecific persistentsubstances(x-raycontrastmedia)into municipal sewage by separate collection of urine

• Advancedefficienttreatmenttechnics:Testof biologically activated carbon filtration

3-D image of two filled urine bags, to the right with x-ray contrast media, to the left without x-ray contrast media (Bayer HealthCare/CRP Henri Tudor)

DRAFT 2014